| Ip to vpls interworking -> Monitor Keywords |
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Ip to vpls interworkingRelated Patent Categories: Multiplex Communications, Pathfinding Or Routing, Switching A Message Which Includes An Address Header, Message Transmitted Using Fixed Length Packets (e.g., Atm Cells), Multiprotocol Network, Emulated Lan (lane/elan/vlan, E.g., Ethernet Or Token Ring Legacy Lan Over A Single Atm Network/lan)Ip to vpls interworking description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060182120, Ip to vpls interworking. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] This invention relates to heterogeneous digital access technologies and more particularly to systems and methods for existing heterogeneous technologies to communicate with each other as if they were connected to a common Local Area Network (LAN). BACKGROUND [0002] Typically, provider service networks (PSN) are used to allow multiple end users to communicate with each other in a virtual private network (VPN) or a virtual private LAN service (VPLS) environment using the Internet Protocol (IP). Ethernet access is frequently the technology of choice for PSNs but there are occasions in which it may be advantageous for other technologies to be accessed. These other technologies may include point to point access systems, such as Frame Relay (FR) and Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM). [0003] The present application describes how standard IP devices connected to existing and heterogeneous access technologies can communicate with each other as if they were connected to a common LAN segment. In particular, it describes the interworking of IP and VPLS. [0004] More particularly the application illustrates the interface between IP over X (where X is non-Ethernet) and VPLS, with examples of how a CE router with point-to-point interface such as Frame Relay or ATM access can appear as a node on the emulated LAN. This allows a CE to work with other CEs as if it is connected to the same LAN as the other CEs. Only one data link connection identifier (DLCI) is required at a CE router with FR access to allow it to peer with other routers with Ethernet or FR/ATM access. This reduces the amount of provisioning required by end customers. For instance, instead of provisioning m point-to-point DLCIs and m subnets for routers to peer, an end customer only need one DLCI or Ethernet interface and an IP address for one subnet on a router, to allow the router to peer with other routers on the emulated LAN. When a new site is added, only the new router needs to be provisioned and only one DLCI or one Ethernet interface is required. It is to be noted that the need for only one DLCI or Ethernet link does not prevent additional access interfaces to be used for redundancy if desired. [0005] There is only limited prior art relating to the interworking of IP and VPLS. In one example, a provider has converted FR customers to their own Ethernet-based TLS service (effectively an ATM-based VPLS) with some success. But one of their biggest challenges has been to extend their TLS service to a remote FR endpoint. In order to meet this challenge they are usually required to run protocols such as IRB, which may not be available or it may be complicated to enable at customer's site. Alternatively, it requires a costly dedicated CO-based conversion router which tends to be much more expensive than providing this feature natively in a VPLS PE. [0006] As indicated previously, only one DLCI is required at a CE router with FR access to allow it to peer with other routers with Ethernet or FR/ATM. It reduces the amount of provisioning required by end customers. For instance, instead of provisioning m point-to-point DLCIs and m subnets for routers to peer, an end customer only need one DLCI or Ethernet interface and an IP address for one subnet on a router, to allow the router to peer with other routers on the emulated LAN. When a new site is added, only the new router need to be provisioned and only one DLCI or one Ethernet interface is required. This feature is analogous to converting a FR site to IP-VPN. However this feature is different from the above IP-VPN analogy in that traffic is bridged instead of routed and does not require a routing protocol between CE and PE. [0007] Another prior art example is known as ARP-MEDIATION but it addresses the p2p interworking of Ethernet and FR/ATM (any p2p access) for IP traffic and supports only one Ethernet node on the Ethernet interface end. The present invention allows more than one Ethernet nodes on the Ethernet interface (as defined for Ethernet) [0008] In another prior art example, known as IPLS, only bridged encapsulation (or encapsulated Ethernet frames) from a FR/ATM interface are supported. The present invention supports routed encapsulation from a FR/ATM interface. [0009] Alternatively, if there are existing FR CE devices configured with routed encapsulation and it is not feasible to reconfigure the FR CE devices (to peer on a broadcast network instead of a point-to-point network), some of the FR CE and Ethernet CE devices can be connected to different subnets instead. Additional provisioning is required on routers for the different subnets. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0010] The present invention provides methods and systems whereby standard IP devices can be connected to existing and heterogeneous access technologies so as to communicate with each other as if they were connected to a common LAN. [0011] Therefore, in accordance with a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of using a virtual private LAN service (VPLS) to provide communications between IP devices connected to a provider service network (PSN) by a non-Ethernet access link and IP devices connected to the PSN by an Ethernet access link comprising the steps: discovering the MAC address of the non-Ethernet connected devices from an Ethernet connected site; discovering the MAC address of the Ethernet connected devices by a PE router connected to the non-Ethernet connected devices; and encapsulating traffic from Ethernet connected devices according to an Ethernet encapsulating protocol, and encapsulating traffic the non-Ethernet connected devices according to a non-Ethernet encapsulating protocol. [0012] In accordance with a second aspect of the invention there is provided a system for using a virtual private LAN service (VPLS) to provide communications between IP devices connected to a provider service network (PSN) by a non-Ethernet access link and IP devices connected to the PSN by an Ethernet access link comprising: means for discovering the MAC address of the non-Ethernet connected devices from an Ethernet connected site; means for discovering the MAC address of the Ethernet connected devices by a PE router connected to the non-Ethernet connected devices; and means for encapsulating traffic from Ethernet connected devices according to an Ethernet encapsulating protocol, and encapsulating traffic the non-Ethernet connected devices according to a non-Ethernet encapsulating protocol. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0013] The invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the attached drawings wherein: [0014] FIG. 1 illustrates IP devices connected over multiple subnets; [0015] FIG. 2 illustrates IP devices connected over a broadcast network; and [0016] FIG. 3 shows an alternate embodiment of IP devices connected over a broadcast network. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [0017] In the attached drawings a Provider Service Network (PSN) backbone is represented by the PSN cloud. Provider Equipment (PE) access the PSN via heterogeneous access technologies such as Ethernet over PSN or IP over PSN. Provider equipment is connected to Customer Equipment (CE) via diverse access technologies such as Ethernet, Frame Relay (FR) and Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), the latter two also being described herein as non-Ethernet access technologies or point-to-point technologies. [0018] The systems and methods of the invention allow a CE with FR/ATM access to peer with a CE with Ethernet access over a different subnet than the emulated LAN used by CEs with Ethernet access, allowing an FR/ATM CE to maintain the existing configuration. Thus, in FIG. 1 CE2 is connected to CE4 via a FR access link and both CE2 and CE4 are using a routed encapsulation. When CE2 access link is changed to Ethernet, two IP interfaces can be defined on the Ethernet interface, one for a VPLS connected to other Ethernet CE routers, the other is for a p2p link to CE4. No re-configuration or configuration change is required on CE4 in this case. [0019] When the number of end customer sites is large, grouping sites into different subnets/emulated LAN would be a reasonable approach to scale the Virtual Private LAN or VPN design, while reducing the provisioning required by peering routers over multiple emulated LANs or VPLS. Continue reading about Ip to vpls interworking... Full patent description for Ip to vpls interworking Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Ip to vpls interworking patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Ip to vpls interworking or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Inter-autonomous-system virtual private network with autodiscovery and connection signaling Next Patent Application: Method for aggregating data traffic over an access domain and nodes therefor Industry Class: Multiplex communications ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Ip to vpls interworking patent info. 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